Improvement in bee-hives



UNITED STATES PATENT UFFICEQ JOHN E. RIGHEY AND .O. HOTOHKISS, OF VAN WERT, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN BEE-HIVESI.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N0. 4 L942, dated Macrh 15, 1864.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN E. RIOHEYand (J. HoToHKIss, both of Van Wert, in the county of Van Wert and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Bee-Hive; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is avertical section of our inven tion, taken in the line a: 00, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a vertical section of the same taken, in the line 3 y, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the same, taken in the line z z, Fig. 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the three figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a bee-hive of simple construction which will admit of the swarm or colony of bees within it being readily divided and transferred to another hive, so as to multiply colonies.

The invention has. further for its object the cut-rapping of the moth by a very simple arrangement, which will at the same time serve as a draft-chamber for the proper ventilation of the hive.

To enable those skilledin the art to fully understand and construct our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular case, which may be of any suit-able dimensions, and is provided at its upper part with a horizontal partition, a, which has four holes, 12, made in it. The compartment 0, above this partition a, has two spare honey-boxes, (Z d, within it, each of which has two holes, 6, made in its bottom which fit over two holes, 12, in the partition a. The compartment 0 communicates with the external air by means of an opening, f, (one or more,) in the side of the case A, said openings being covered by wirecloth 9. Ventilating-openingsh are also made in one or more sides of the spare honey-boxes d, said openings being also covered with wirecloth 1 (See Fig. 1.)

In the lower part of the case A there is a horizontal partition, j, which forms a shallow compartment, k, into which tubes Z (one or more) pass, said tube or tubes being fitted in one side of the case and forming a communication between the compartment k and the external air. An opening, m, is also made in one side of this compartment, and is covered with wire-cloth m. The air therefore, it will be seen, has free access into the is quite large, and it contains two boxes, 19 p, Y

which placed side by side and have their adjoining sides formed of slats q. These two boxes may be fitted together by a tongue and groove, r s, at their upper and lower parts, as shown in Fig. 1. When the two boxes 19 1; are thus fitted together, aspace is allowed between them to receive a slide, D, which, when the boxes require to be separated, is shoved between the boxes.

The back of the case A is a doorhung upon hinges, so that it may be opened to expose all of the boxes and admit of the ready removal of any of them.

I11 the back of the compartment 70 there is fitted a bar or slat, t, which serves to keep said compartment closed when the door is opened. (See Fig. 2.) p

In the front side of the case A there are made two openings, u, one for each box 1). These openings are directly over an alightingboard, 22. The openings to are provided with buttons w, which admit of the openings being closed when necessary or desired. Each box 12 has two holes, a, made in its top, which holes register with the holes I; in the partition a.

The two boxes 12 p constitute the hive, and

the plate or slide D is not placed between them at first; in fact, it is not used until a shoit time before it is desired to divide the hive. The two boxes at this time are then separated by the plate or slide D, and when the divided bees are reconciled, those of each box by their -separation, one of the boxes is removed and placed by the side of an empty box in a vacant hive. Thus two colonies will be formed from one, an empty box, being put in the place of the occupied one which was removed from the working-hive.

The compartment k serves as a moth-trap and as a ventilating-chamber. The moth in endeavoring to get into the hive will pass through the tubes Z Z into k, and not being able to return will perish there, while the air that enters into k will pass up through the openings n it, through the boxes p,and out through the vehtilating-opcnings at the upper part of l The arrangement of the divisible hive p 19 case A. and slide D with the ventilating and moth- The boxes 12 p,it will be understoochare not chamberk and boxes at d in the manner herepi 'ogided with bottohms, and at the lower ends in shown and described. 0 t eir ront sidest ey are notched, as shown at b, to admit of the bees passing into them i from the hole 10. Having thus described our invention, what Witnesses:

we claim as new and desire to secure by Let- I. H. KROH, ters Patent, is- W. SNASHALL. 

